4 replies to this topic

[carine]

hi all,

I'm apologies if this is not right place for this thread.

Recently, auditor question me if the chemical Citric Acid Monohydrate BP98 we used is food grade type. I trowed back this question to my supplier, they said BP98 was food grade code, is it true? What about product CAS No, can it be food grade determination?

[Mesha]

Dear Carine,

 

Just confirm with your supplier if it is British pharma grade material !

 

You can also ask them for the specification they are following to qualify the material. This will give you an idea on the food grade classification of the product.

 

Regards

[Charles.C]

hi all,

I'm apologies if this is not right place for this thread.

Recently, auditor question me if the chemical Citric Acid Monohydrate BP98 we used is food grade type. I trowed back this question to my supplier, they said BP98 was food grade code, is it true? What about product CAS No, can it be food grade determination?

 

Hi Carine,

 

Simple question, not so simple answer.

 

The problem is that there is no universal definition of Food Grade (FG).

 

From a HACCP POV which I presume is relevant here, FG means the specified food ingredient is not harmful to the consumer in its stated usage.

 

FG overlaps topics like (a) GRAS, (b) food additive, (c) ingredient chemical specification (eg purity/contaminants). The details / requirements may vary with yr location or that of consumer.

 

I suspect the auditor’s query related to (c) ?.

 

The “BP” presumably means British Pharmacopoeia. This is a Pharmaceutical Grade and implies that the chemical complies with the quality standard as detailed in the related medicinal standard. IMO may or may not be FG.

 

If included, I usually (initially) define FG specification as per list in FCC – Food Chemicals Codex, or Codex Alimentarius, eg –

 

USP's standards for food ingredients can be found in its Food Chemicals Codex (FCC). The FCC is a compendium of standards used internationally for the quality and purity of food ingredients like preservatives, flavorings, colorings and nutrients. While the FCC is recognized in law in countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand, it currently does not have statutory recognition in the United States, although FCC standards are incorporated by reference in over 200 FDA food regulations.

 

(wiki)

 

FCC website –

http://www.usp.org/food-ingredients

 

Their spec for citric acid monohydrate  is –

 citric_acid_monohydrate.pdf   177.95KB   43 downloads

 

Does your BP98 spec. comply with above ?

[carine]

I found E330 USP FCC BP EP printed on citric acid packaging, anybody know what about this ?

[Charles.C]

I found E330 USP FCC BP EP printed on citric acid packaging, anybody know what about this ?

E330 = code for citric acid.

USP,FCC, BP, EP are all referenced in previous posts/links. They are names of various collections of chemical  "Quality Standards".

 

yr auditorial  problem is likely lack of an appropriate,  documented specification.

 

The specific requirement may relate to yr standard but usually  an auditor requires some  documentary evidence of Food Grade Quality, eg  a COA (certificate of analysis) demonstrating compliance to a standard such as FCC or  a, similarly compliant, supplier specification on the latter's official notepaper.

 

2 examples of a "specification" are attached -

 

 citric acid spec.doc   109KB   32 downloads

 citric acid specification (2).pdf   24.53KB   28 downloads